Edward Burtnysky on climate crisis: ‘We should be screaming fire… but we’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic’
Photographer Edward Burtynsky says people should be “screaming 10 alarm fire right now,” due to the urgency of the climate crisis. Instead, he says “it still feels like we’re rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic”.
The 69-year-old Canadian artist has re-invented landscape photography, spending the last 40 years documenting man’s dominance over the planet.
He explores human impact across the world – in all its beauty and bleakness.
But does he see any conflict in creating beautiful images documenting such devastating impact on the earth?
He tells Sky News: “My work is revelatory, not accusatory.
“Every living species takes something from nature to survive, and we as a top predator, take quite a bit from nature to survive.
“All these things I’m showing would be perfectly fine if there were one billion human beings on the planet. The fact that there’s eight billion makes it a problem. It’s just too much of a good thing.”
His large-scale panoramas both celebrate and question human ingenuity, challenging his audience to look beyond their backyard.
They also act as a critical reminder of what could be at stake without urgent changes to the way we use the planet’s resources.
Coast Mountains, British Columbia, Canada. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
Born in Ukraine, Burtynsky’s parents moved to Canada after the Second World War. His father – who gave him his first camera as a child – died when he was just 15.
Precipices and helicopters
The necessity to earn enough money to allow him to study photography led him to find work in big industry, working in both the auto and mining industries as a young man.
“I moved far north and worked in big mines. And I got to see those worlds, first-hand. And I think it was that kind of opening my eyes to this other world that gave me the idea that most people haven’t really seen these worlds”.
Progressing from standing on the edges of perilous quarries and mines to get his shots (admitting, “my mother didn’t approve, it was sort of dangerous”), he now uses helicopters to get his aerial images.
Kooragang of Coal Terminal, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
Over four decades, his photography has seen him travel to multiple countries across every continent (except for Antarctica), with his works included in the collections of more than 60 museums around the world.
Disappearing rivers of ice
His recent trip to photograph the Coast mountains of British Columbia, Canada, for his latest exhibition – New Works – was a stark reminder of a swiftly changing world.
From his bird’s eye view, he could see the glaciers – which date as far back as 150,000 years – had receded dramatically compared with 20 years ago because of warming as a result of human activity.
Not only a visible measure of man’s impact on the environment, the disappearing rivers of ice will go on to impact the ecosystems that rely on their meltwater.
Burtynsky’s new collection also explores soil erosion in Turkey, and the impact of coal mines in Australia.
Salt Lakes, North-East Tuz Lake, Turkey. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
He admits it’s sometimes frustrating trying to relay the urgency of the climate emergency message.
‘Our legacy is troubled’
“We have this particular moment in time and things are evolving rapidly. I’m trying to invoke a sense of urgency out there… This is actually scientifically being charted and we’re pretty good at predicting what to expect.”
His environmental message – which is his life’s passion – is deeply held.
“I have two daughters and I want them to have a chance to have a family, too. So, if you know, the legacy that we’re leaving behind is troubled.
But his ecological vigour is also rooted within his personal knowledge of big industry. He says our use of the world’s most valuable resources is not something that can just stop, but instead needs careful planning, with alternative energy incentivisation, to help us transition to more sustainable methods.
Erosion Control, Yesilhisar, of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
So, what’s his view on the growing army of climate activists drawing attention to the cause by doing ever more extreme things to hit the headlines – particularly when that involves demonstrations in art galleries?
‘I understand the frustration’
“I understand why culture and the arts in particular can be a target, and somebody trying to bring attention through art celebrity. And that’s what’s happening, they’re taking a famous painting and throwing some paint on it… Or gluing themselves…
“I would think that demonstrating in front of the companies that are causing the problem might be a better place – to go direct to the source of the problem. But I understand the frustration.”
Erosion Nallıhan, Ankara Province, Turkey. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
As for the renewed scrutiny on the source of funding for some of our big arts institutions, including galleries and museums accepting money from big oil companies, he says it’s a tricky path to navigate.
‘Be careful what you wish for’
“The line in a way is dangerous because you can all of a sudden find out that culture is no longer viable.
“I think as well, the oil companies have to transition, and they can do a lot to make a difference.
“We still need oil in the meantime until the transition occurs, [and we should] be careful what we wish for, because if all of a sudden the oil stopped tomorrow, I’d call that anarchy.
“We wouldn’t have food coming into the cities. We wouldn’t have transport working, everything would come to a screeching halt. So we are, unfortunately, still bound to that energy source for the foreseeable future.”
Ravensworth Coal Tailing, Ravensworth Mine, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia,. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
Part of that future, he believes, lies in the essential role that art can play in raising ecological awareness.
‘There’s still time’
“Artists have a role and creativity has a huge role in the future, because we have to reinvent our world. We have to find a world that isn’t built on this consumer culture saying the more stuff I own, the happier I am.
“I think everybody’s finding that that’s a bit of a shallow value system that may have been sold to us by some very influential advertising campaigns.”
So, should viewers of his work feel optimistic or pessimistic on leaving the gallery?
“I hope people can walk away saying there’s still time to do something.
“I think pessimism tends to lead to cynicism that nothing will work, so [people think] ‘Why should I bother? I’ll just carry on business as usual’. And I don’t think that’s the right attitude.”
Coast Mountains, Monarch of Ice Cap, British Columbia, Canada. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
But alongside that optimism, Burtynsky’s clear-eyed on the challenges the world is facing.
Atmospheric rivers, water bombs and heat domes
“The storms are coming – we’re hearing all kinds of new terminology: ‘Atmospheric rivers’; ‘water bombs’ – these the massive amounts of water hitting a city all at once; ‘heat domes’. All of these new terms to try and describe what’s coming.
“The fire seasons have already started early, Texas is having one of its worst fire seasons ever, and it’s a month and a half, two months early.”
Coast Mountains, receding of glacier, British Columbia, Canada. Pic: Edward Burtynsky/Flowers Gallery
He concludes: “It’s a question of how quickly we’re able to cease and desist the worst activity that we’re doing, which I’d say right now is CO2 loading in the atmosphere and is our most immediate problem.
“We’ve got a lot of problems, and I think if people are going to act, they need to act. The time for words is way over.”
Edward Burtynsky New Works is showing at Flowers Gallery until 6 April.
A retrospective of his work, Extraction /Abstraction, is showing at the Saatchi Gallery until 6 May.
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Entertainment
Princess of Wales says her children were ‘very sad’ to miss Paddington at Royal Variety Performance
The Princess of Wales has admitted her children were “very sad” to miss the Royal Variety Performance in London, which she and the Prince of Wales attended.
Prince William and Kate made their first appearance at the event since her recovery from cancer.
Wednesday’s red carpet show at the Royal Albert Hall was headlined by the cast of Paddington The Musical.
After arriving and being presented with posies by nine-year-old twins Emelia and Olivia Edwards, the family of staff at a care home for entertainment industry workers, Kate asked if they were fans of Paddington Bear.
The Princess of Wales meets Emelia and Olivia Edwards. Pic: PA
The princess, wearing a green velvet gown, then told the girls that her children were “very sad” not to attend the show and added she had to tell them children were not allowed to go.
“My kiddies were very sad, we’re going to have to keep it a big secret that I saw you guys,” she said.
“They were very sad not to be joining us.”
It is the sixth time William and Kate have attended the annual charity event.
When Olivia told the prince, wearing a tuxedo, her favourite singer was Billie Eilish, he replied she had good taste.
He said: “It’s very nice to see you both. You’re very smiley, you two.”
The royals were also greeted on the red carpet by ITV board members and representatives from the Royal Variety Charity, of which the King is the royal patron.
Pics: PA
The Paddington cast were set to take to the stage on Wednesday evening, while pop star Jessie J and Grammy award-winning singer Laufey were also expected to perform.
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Jessie J attends the Royal Variety Performance. Pic: PA
Laufey at the event in London. Pic: PA
Held annually, the Royal Variety Performance was first staged in 1912 for King George V and Queen Mary in support of the charity, which helps those working in the entertainment industry.
Ahead of the show, its executive producer Giles Cooper said the charity was “thrilled” the prince and princess would “once again attend the Royal Variety Performance”.
Mr Cooper, also chairman of the charity, added: “This annual great British institution, viewed by a worldwide TV audience of over 150 million, continues to be a crucial fundraising event supporting people in all areas of performance, either on or off stage.
“In this pressurised world of working in the entertainment industry, our mental health initiative, started in 2024, has been a lifeline for many who are experiencing issues such as anxiety, depression or addiction.”
Pics: PA
On Tuesday, the princess called on businesses to value “time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success” in her first speech since she was diagnosed with cancer at the start of 2024.
Speaking at the Future Workforce Summit, Kate told 80 business leaders: “Every one of you interacts with your own environment; a home, a family, a business, a workforce, a community.
“These are the ecosystems that you yourselves help to weave. Imagine a world where each of these environments were built on valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success.
“As business leaders, you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible.”
Entertainment
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sells for £180m at auction, a record for modern art
A painting that helped save the life of its Jewish subject during the Holocaust has become the most expensive piece of modern art and the second most expensive painting ever sold at auction.
The Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, was bought for $236.4m (£180m) by an unnamed buyer after a 20-minute bidding war at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday.
Its sale price beat the previous record for 20th-century art set by Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe bought for $195m (£148m) in 2022.
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol. Pic: Associated Press
The most expensive painting ever sold at auction was Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which fetched $450m (£342m) in 2017, Christie’s said on its website.
Sotheby’s said on X the price for the Klimt was “astonishing”, making the piece “the most valuable work of modern art ever sold at auction”.
The portrait, which Klimt worked on between 1914 and 1916, depicts the daughter of one of Vienna’s wealthiest families wearing an East Asian emperor’s cloak.
Evaded fire and Nazi looters
Measuring 1.8m (6ft), the colourful piece, which was completed in 1916, illustrates the Lederer family’s life of luxury before Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938.
It was kept separate from other Klimt paintings that burned in a fire at an Austrian castle.
It also escaped being looted by the Nazis, who plundered the Lederer art collection.
They left only the family portraits, which they held to be “too Jewish” to be worth stealing, according to the National Gallery of Canada, where the painting was previously on loan.
Father lie saved her life
To save her own life, Elisabeth Lederer made up a story that Klimt, who was not Jewish and died in 1918, was her father.
It helped that the artist spent years working meticulously on her portrait.
She convinced the Nazis to give her a document stating that she descended from Klimt, which allowed her to live safely in Vienna until her death from illness in 1944.
The painting, which is one of two full-length portraits by the Austrian artist that remain privately owned, was part of the collection of billionaire Leonard A Lauder, heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, who died this year.
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Five Klimt pieces from Lauder’s collection sold at the auction for a total of $392m (£298m), which also included pieces by Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Edvard Munch, Sotheby’s said.
An 18-carat-gold toilet by Maurizio Cattelan – the provocative Italian artist known for taping a banana to a wall – sold for a reported $12.1m (£9.2m).
The fully-functioning toilet, one of two he created in 2016 satirising superwealth, was stolen while on display at Blenheim Palace, the country manor where Winston Churchill was born, in 2019.
Two men were convicted of the theft, but it’s unclear what they did with the loo.
Investigators believe it was likely broken up and melted down.
Entertainment
The Kessler twins, German dance stars in the 50s and 60s, die in ‘joint suicide’, police say
The Kessler Twins, German sisters famous across Europe for their singing and dancing, have died together through assisted means, local police have said.
Content warning: this article contains references to suicide
Munich officers said in a statement on Tuesday that Alice and Ellen Kessler had died by “joint suicide” at their shared home in Grunwald. They were 89.
The German Society for Humane Dying, a group in support of assisted dying, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News that the sisters had “been considering this option for some time”.
It added they had been members for more than a year and that “a lawyer and a doctor conducted preliminary discussions with them”, and said: “People who choose this option in Germany must be absolutely clear-headed, meaning free and responsible.
“The decision must be thoughtful and consistent, meaning made over a long period of time and not impulsive.”
In an interview last year with the Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, the sisters said they wished to die together on the same day.
Read more: Why is assisted dying so controversial – and where is it already legal?
Alice and Ellen Kessler on stage in Stuttgart on 21 November 2006. File pic: AP
A ban on assisted dying in Germany was overturned by the country’s federal court in 2020.
While the practice is not explicitly permitted, judges said at the time the previous law outlawing it infringed on constitutional rights.
Alice and Ellen were born in 1936 and trained as ballet dancers in their youth. They began their entertainment careers in the 1950s after their family fled from East Germany to West Germany.
Professionally known as The Kessler Twins, they were then discovered by the director of the Lido cabaret theatre in Paris in 1955, launching their international career.
In 1959, the sisters also represented a now-unified Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Cannes, France.
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Throughout the 1960s, Alice and Ellen toured the world, moved to Rome, and performed with singers Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte.
Both sisters continued to perform together into later life, appearing on stage in a musical at 80 years old.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
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